McLaren to deliver rotating rear wing at Italian GP but calls it H-wing

McLaren will introduce the H-Wing, its own version of the rotating rear wing, at this weekend’s Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

McLaren had been working on its own interpretation of the rotating rear wing, which flips 180 degrees between cornering mode and straight mode, after seeing Ferrari introduce its own version during winter testing.

The Woking team first brought a prototype to the Austrian Grand Prix, but decided against trialling it in free practice after encountering an issue in the garage. It subsequently ran a revised example in Hungarian GP FP1 with a view to introducing it at low-drag, high-speed circuits later, when the concept should help reduce drag on the straights.

Monza is the first such opportunity, and McLaren has now committed to introducing the H-Wing on both cars.

The name for the device is not a Star Wars reference, but a nod to the letter H in the Etihad logo that adorns the rear of the MCL40’s rear wing. The letter H runs along the centreline where the H-Wing’s straight mode actuator is positioned.

It follows a tradition set by the team’s famed F-duct in 2010, which was named after the F in Vodafone along the nose where the duct was installed.

“This weekend, we have brought what we believe is needed to be competitive, including a new low-drag rear wing specification, including the first use of our H-Wing, alongside some small aerodynamic and low-drag options that we will evaluate before deciding the final specification for qualifying,” said McLaren’s technical director Neil Houldey.

“Overall, we know there is still more performance to unlock from the MCL40, both through maximising the package we already have and through further upgrades planned for the races ahead.”

McLaren will also run a tweaked livery at Monza and at next week’s Spanish Grand Prix to promote its partnership with cryptocurrency company OKX.

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– The Autosport.com Team